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I had originally referred to this post as a home tour, but it really isn’t a full blown tour as I’m just going to show you the parts of the house that are acceptable at this point. We’ve only just moved in; we’re still unpacking boxes, arranging furniture, and trying to get an overall feel of the place. As you can see from the pictures we still have lots to do but we’re happy to finally be here and beginning to feel right at home.

Our Barn

This is our garage, but we refer to it as the barn. I don’t know why we call it the barn, the contractor referred to it as such and the name stuck.

Yes, that is a small Japanese Maple out front, and yes, that is a cement statue. I’m aware that is an odd arrangement to have out front of a barn in rural Oklahoma, but there it is.

Here’s the front of the house with the cupola and the our rain barrels…

…here is a view of the back, and my grass~less yard that overlooks the pond.

The pond has come a long way. You can read more about it here and here and you can see that it is beginning to fill up again. We have no grass because the mud that was dug out of the pond in order to deepen it was used to create a slope from the porch to the pond. It is sad looking at the moment but grass is beginning to grow back again here and there.

The Pond

We had the home situated this way with the “back” facing the “front” part of the property so that we could sit out on the porch in the evenings and watch the pond.

The Keeping Room

This is the front entry and what I am calling the “keeping room” off of the kitchen. This was originally to have been the one and only living area but once construction got underway and I saw the large formal dining room, I couldn’t see using that large of a space only on occasion.

I decided instead to use that as our living area and this space as a small sitting area for the kitchen. Whenever we have company, everyone congregates in the kitchen anyway, why not have a comfy place to sit?

My kitchen is an L shape that overlooks the keeping room.

Here’s one view:

… and here is the other. I opted for the open shelves for two reasons. 1. I love the utilitarian look for a farmhouse kitchen and 2. They helped save us some $$ by reducing the number of wall cabinets.

While my kitchen is larger than the one we had in our previous home, and quite functional it does not have a pantry so I’ve had to get creative. I did design a very wide hall off of the kitchen, large enough to hold some storage pieces such as this one holding canned goods:

My “pantry”

Here is the formal dining area repurposed as a living room:

…and opposite the sofa is our “media console”; originally our bedroom dresser. It ended up being too large for our smallish bedroom. I didn’t want to get rid of it so I decided to put it here. The Shepherdess painting behind the rocker is waiting to be hung above the mantle clock.

Here is the said smallish bedroom.

Tea Cart for a Nightstand

We do have windows, and a door that leads out to the back porch but only the bed is presentable at the moment. I’m still trying to figure the layout of the room and the closet situation.

Off the bedroom is a full bath. To save room we used a pedestal sink, to save money we went with minimal cabinetry. Minimal meaning none.

Glass shelf above sink.

For storage we use small carts:

Storage cart

…and on the wall opposite is a shelf for the towels, first aid, and toiletry items.

Since this functions as the master bath, we have a half bath on the opposite end of the home for company. We also have a small office area but like the rest of the master bedroom they are still a work in progress and not really fit to be seen.

I have yet to make curtains, hang pictures, and all those little things that warm up a place and make it homey. My hope is to have things somewhat spiffed up in enough time for us to enjoy the holidays.

Looks really nice so far. It’s always a lot of work to move into a new home. I’m still working on mine and it’s been 2 years. Love the dresser/media console, it’s a beautiful piece of furniture. My son has a big pond but has never done anything with it. Biggest bullfrog I have ever seen lives there. You should hear the Deep voice he has. Good luck with yours, hope all goes well. The fact that you had fish and the turtles means it’s a healthy pond…

I loved seeing your budding homestead! Your kitchen, with it’s open shelves is very inviting. I love the little carts, especially the tea cart by the bed. The shepherdess painting will be the perfect way to complete the “media” console, sans TV. I feel like I’ve just read the first chapter of the New American Homesteader! ~Blessings upon your home and farm.

I love it! So warm and inviting already. We’ve been in our home for 2-1/2 years and it doesn’t look nearly as cozy. So happy you are there now and settling in. Just in time for the holiday season, too! Enjoy!!

So beautiful Jennifer! I love the entire homestead–everything about it. I also love seeing furniture repurposed. That, to me, is more interesting than uniformity. You’re doing an excellent job; thanks so much for sharing it with us ~Katie

I just started following your blog and love it! I’ve started from the beginning getting caught up on all ou have done. I absolutely love your new home! I to live in northeastern Oklahoma, BA, and my husband and I hope to do this within the next 5 to 6 years. Thank you for bringing us along for the ride!

Jenny, your homestead is exceptionally creative and smart (shh.. the *barn* part will be our little secret). It\s great to see inventive ideas in cost effective home-building. Your interior is invitingly warm and yours is the *prettiest* pantry I’ve seen. Love your weather vane atop your exterior. Congratulations ~ may your home be blessed with abundance and love and laughter.

I enjoyed your site. We started our homestead about 32 years ago. Still growing and improving. We live near Bristow Oklahoma. We now have over 100 chickens and are getting ready for hair sheep. We also have peacocks. Loved your tour. Most of all have fun and enjoy it.